Shapovalov drawing comparisons to tennis' top stars

Several young players have caught the eye lately, but one of them has been standing out at the U.S. Open.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is nothing less than a mix of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal according to former world No. 1 Mats Wilander.

The 18-year-old Shapovalov, who claimed the juniors’ title at Wimbledon in 2016, defeated eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in straight sets in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

“He is a serious talent. To be 100 per cent honest, you cannot compare Shapovalov to any other youngster,” said Wilander, at the U.S. Open as an analyst for Eurosport.

5 Things About Denis Shapovalov, Tennis Superstar1:44

“He is a completely different level. It’s like watching a combination of Nadal and Federer at 18 years old. He has the fire of Nadal and the speed around the court of Nadal and he has the grace of Federer — it’s unbelievable. “He really captivates the crowd.

“[Wednesday] night it was like ‘Oh my god, where does this kid come from?’ He flies. I’m really, really impressed. The best players in the world better watch out for him now.”

Shapovalov, who next faces Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Friday, reached the semifinals at the Rogers Cup in Montreal earlier this month after beating Nadal in the third round.